1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for receiving electronic signals and then using the electronic signals to automatically determine the need to execute an alertment protocol to coordinate the distribution of relevant information to pre-selected and/or designated information recipients. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and method for managing the convergence of requirements for individual, family, and organizational communications, including requirements for planning, creating, and monitoring vital, action-oriented information regarding the health and welfare of those persons, entities, other groups, their communities, and the nation as a whole in a rapidly converging world of diverse communications systems and methods. The invention is designed to be enduring and to transcend advances in telephony technology.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A growing number of natural phenomena and man-made events, conditions, and contingencies, have and will continue to affect personal, family, community, and institutional safety and security. In the post 9/11 world, and in view of recent natural disasters and potential epidemic and/or pandemic threats, there is an increasing need to provide for the safety and security of persons and entities. One such method is to maintain vital communications connectivity. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recognizes the principal role that individuals and groups of people can play in effecting national security. It could well be that a developing situation could prompt one person—not involved in a crisis to merit 911 notification—to communicate with a pre-arranged person. When anyone who is a part of that emergency communications plan calls a telephone number, then one, few, or all of the other members of the plan could be notified, as designed by the organizers of that plan. Thus, there has been a need for comprehensive communications systems to automatically detect and report information of interest—vital communications—between parties. With the rapid convergence of communications technologies that are changing the way telecommunications companies provide voice and data traffic, including the convergence of audio, video, and other data detection and communication systems, identifying opportunities to enhance information sharing between parties, specifically information related to safety and security, has been and will continue to be of paramount concern.
According to the International Engineering Consortium (IEC), telecommunications convergence is the merger of legacy-based time division multiplexing (TDM) architecture with today's packet-switching technology and telephone call-control intelligence, which allows commercial telephony carriers and service providers to consolidate voice and data networks to provide integrated communications services. Prior to the mid-1960s, legacy systems were hardwired into circuit-switching systems. Back then, network operators met with switch vendors, discussed the types of services customers required, negotiated the switching features that provided the services, and finally agreed upon a generic release date for feature availability. The network operator subsequently planned for the deployment of the generic feature/service in the switching network fabric. That process was compounded for the network operator with switching systems from multiple vendors. As a result, services were not offered ubiquitously across an operator's serving area. Also, once services were implemented, they were not easily modified to meet individual subscriber's requirements. As a result, it took years to plan and to implement services.
Innovations in switching and switching environments appeared in the 1970's—i.e., Common Channel Signaling Network (CSSN), or SS7 for short. SS7 is the protocol that runs over the CSSN and the public switched telephone network (PSTN) backbone and provides the standard for determining how conventional telephone calls from a sender are switched through telephone exchanges to a call receiver. The PSTN refers to the assemblage of world-wide public-use circuit-switched telephone networks. Circuit-switching generally refers to a communications networking technology that provides a dedicated data connection between two communicator devices (e.g., telephones) regardless of the number of circuit switching devices the data are routed through. The SS7 protocol network also enabled the introduction of new services, such as caller identification (“caller ID”). The SS7 protocol network was designed before today's intelligent networks were introduced. However, telephone operators realized there were many advantages to implementing and using SS7 network capabilities.
During the mid 1980's, the regional Bell operating companies (RBOCs) began requesting features that could provide for rapid deployment of services in the network, vendor independence and standard interfaces, and, opportunities for non-RBOCs to offer services for increased network usage. Telcordia Technologies responded to the RBOC's request and developed the concept of Intelligent Network (IN/1). The introduction of the IN/1 marked the first time that service logic was external to switching systems and located in databases called service control points (SCPs).
With advances in legacy circuit-switch-based telephony communications system came the identification and development of systems for enhancing vital communications connectivity. U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,877 to Lehman, et al. (1985), for example, describes an apparatus for switching time-multiplexed digital signals and more specifically, for switching time-multiplexed digital signals of different bit rates. It further describes the role of the digital line controller. As disclosed, a switching system is implemented by storing all signals carried by an input group of digital carrier lines in a memory and generating signals to an output group of digital carrier lines from the contents of that memory.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,581 (1985) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,956 (1986) to Doughty disclose the manner in which a data message can be sent to a selected station during a silent interval between ringing. The patents disclose an apparatus, or a vehicle, for displaying special service information at a selected station during a silent interval between ringing. The stored special service information is then periodically sent to the display unit to begin exhibiting the information during the silent interval before the next ringing signal. Those patents illustrate how certain special services have been made available to telephone customers to provide them with features that render their telephone usage more convenient and more flexible.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,323 (1986) to Lottes et al. discloses a method and apparatus for providing a plurality of special services and it addresses such services as automatic recall, automatic callback, and message waiting. Further, it describes solving problems associated with those services. U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,129 (1986) to Matthews et al. discloses an electronic digital signal processor controlled telecommunication system for the deposit, storage and delivery of audio messages that affords users the capability of controlling the delivery of audio messages.
As enhancements to the telephony infrastructure and use of telephony systems were identified, it was also recognized that communications systems create electronic information records specific to a discrete telephone call that could be used for various purposes. Call information could be stored in call detail records (CDRs), which has typically included such things as date, duration of the call, the number dialed, and the status of the telephone call (similar to what is obtainable from a centralized automatic message accounting (CAMA) electronic signal). With the availability of so much information about an individual, his or her phone number, his or her location, and other relevant electronic information, it was recognized that a protocol could be developed for inputting and digesting the information, and causing some action to be taken, such as forwarding and sharing the information with others using various communications modalities.
For example, residential and business owners have relied, for years, on various types of alertment protocols to alert interested pre-selected or designated information recipients of an alarm situation. In particular, a central monitoring service is used to monitor signals received from a homeowner over a telephony network that indicate a fire, burglary, or other event has occurred, and, when a signal is received, initiate a sequence of phone calls to distribute information about the incoming signal. That alertment protocol is less efficient than it could be, because the same person executing the protocol—the monitoring service—typically has to contact emergency response personnel and well as the interested pre-selected or designated information recipients.
Any 911 call initiated by a wired or wireless phone, connected to a public safety answering point (PSAP) via the PSTN, will create electronic information that can then be relayed automatically, according to an alertment protocol, to persons pre-selected by the caller to receive the information. That same information can also be delivered to other communications systems not associated with a PSAP or emergency response resources, to be used to execute an alertment protocol. U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,698 (1980) to Birilli, et al., for example, refers to an alarm system which employs a radio frequency transmitter and a frequency compatible receiver that couples into a telephone system to ring a remote telephone and deliver a message into the receiver of the remote telephone. U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,970 to LaWhite et al. (1985) describes a portable transmitter for an emergency alarm system having a watertight enclosure and which can be worn on the wrist or suspended from a neck chain to provide immediate access in the event of an emergency condition.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,344 (1980) to Moore describes a response health care communications system for providing rapid and reliable health services to patients located within or outside a health care facility, such as an acute-care hospital. The Moore patent discloses a personnel locator for identifying both the type and the location of health care personnel, such as doctors, nurses, interns, and the like, and a personnel communicating network for communicating with some of those personnel from a central location in order to direct them to patient locations where their need is paramount.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,350 (1985) to Wagner discloses a personal alarm apparatus adapted to being worn like a wristwatch for transmitting a radio frequency alarm signal that actuates a signal relay device situated in the user's home. The relay device is connectable to the PSTN via the user's telephone line and, upon actuation, it initiates an alertment protocol by dialing a sequence of telephone numbers stored in memory and then delivering a pre-recorded message when the call is connected. A microprocessor compares the code of the transmitter to a stored code, identifies the user, and retrieves from memory the telephone numbers to be dialed as well as the messages to be transmitted. Because the messages are pre-recorded, the invention does not provide situation-specific information or location information relevant to the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,018 to Antinucci, et al. (2002), discloses the development, features, and general workings of the United States telecommunications infrastructure and 911 emergency services systems. As disclosed in that patent, the basic emergency reporting system involves special software running on PSAP computers. A PSAP, which state governments typically manage, is a physical location equipped and staffed to receive emergency 911 calls. A function of the PSAP is to dispatch emergency services to the location of an emergency situation. There are currently some 4,500 PSAPs in the United States (and more in Canada) that receive incoming emergency telephone calls over the PSTN. An equivalent to the PSAP, but which is used by governmental agencies (including the military, which often have their own police, fire, rescue, and hazard response personnel), is the emergency operations center (EOC). A military installation may operate an EOC that is responsive to a 911 (or equivalent) telephone call being initiated by a wired or wireless phone of an installation resident. That call is connected to the installation's telephone trunk or exchange via a private switched telephone network (rather than a PSTN).
Automatic number identification (ANI) is another feature of the 911 system that allows the caller's telephone number to be delivered with the call and displayed at the PSAP. An electronic CAMA signal is used to facilitate delivery of ANI-type information to the PSAP. CAMA uses multi-frequency (MF) signaling to deliver 8 digits to the PSAP. The first digit, called the number plan digit (NPD), specifies one of four possible area codes. Digits 2-8 represent the caller's 7-digit telephone number. The ANI is framed with a key pulse (KP) at the beginning and a start (ST) at the end in the format: KP-NPD-NXXXXXX-ST. A caller's name and address, which are stored as electronic records by telephone companies, can also be provided along with ANI-type information. More recently, a PSAP can query an incoming signal to identify the presence of automatic location identification (ALI) information, which is stored in a database and associated with a caller's telephone number provided by the ANI feature. ALI information can be used to ascertain name and location (i.e., address or coordinates) information. The ALI databases are typically maintained by the respective telephone company serving the PSAP.
With the implementation of enhanced 911—called 911(E)—PSAPs receive the caller's phone number and the exact location of the phone from which the call has been made. 911(E) enables mobile, or cellular, phones to process 911 emergency calls and enable emergency services to automatically locate the geographic position of the caller.
Other descriptions of telecommunications and telephony infrastructure are disclosed in various patents. U.S. Pat. No. 6,243,442 (2001) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,731,721 (2004) to Tanaka et al., for example, describe the role of a telephone exchange apparatus that would, among other things, identify the origin of a 911 call that is originated through an exchange such as private branch exchange (PBX). Important in that disclosure is the fact that the identification information, such as the extension number, is notified not by the dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal expressing data corresponding to the number of the dial key, but by using a MF signal expressing more data, which illustrates an ability to use other existing features of the telephone system for purposes other than those for which it was originally designed. Also disclosed in those patents is a system that utilizes CAMA signals, among other signals, to ensure that an emergency response team can arrive at the origin of the telephone call without fail, but the disclosed invention does not use CAMA signals to detect the fact that a 911 call is or has been initiated.
With regard to emergency telephone systems, U.S. Pat. No. 6,724,860 to Stumer et al. (2004) describe methods and apparata for transmitting accurate emergency location identification numbers (ELINs) from behind a multi-line telephone system (MLTS) after an emergency caller disconnects. The Stumer et al. invention is directed to methods for accurate transmission of ELIN/callback numbers from an emergency caller who initiates a call from behind a PBX/MLTS, including assigning a port equipment number to each device/trunk of the PBX/MLTS and associating ports/devices with ELINs and callback numbers. The invention reportedly detects an emergency number, assigns a call priority, and uses the port/device number to determine the ELIN/callback number. Then, the system properly transmits the ELIN/callback number optionally first over a private network and also to the public PSAP network.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,744,857 (2004) to Stumer describes methods for accurate transmission of ELIN/callback numbers from an emergency caller calling from behind a PBX/MLTS that includes assigning a port equipment number to each device/trunk of the PBX/MLTS and associating ports/devices with ELINs and callback numbers. The apparatus of the invention detects an emergency number, assigns the call priority, and uses the port/device number to determine the ELIN/callback number, and then properly transmit the ELIN/callback number over a private network for far-end hop-off to the public PSAP network.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,397 (2001) to Stoner, on the other hand, describes an interfacing device to be used with a telephone system terminal for transmitting extended station information to a PSAP. The disclosed computer searches the memory database for information about the specified station which initiated the emergency telephone call, and if the information is located, the computer sends extended station information to the PSAP over a second loop interface while maintaining contact between the specified station which initiated the emergency telephone call and the PSAP.
One of the more perplexing problems facing users of emergency reporting systems—that of being correctly located and to be able to be found for the administering of services—has been addressed in a variety of developments, commencing with wireline, then wireless, and now voice over internet protocol (VoIP) communications systems. U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,180 to Chavous (1992) describes a call interceptor for emergency systems, which is a device for responsively providing, in cooperative association with the 911 emergency system, the number and location of a telephone, especially a PBX extension telephone, from which a 911 emergency call originates. Similarly, problems arise when callers face difficulties during calls to emergency services, such as having to abandon the call for an even more emergent situation or through force or the threat of force. U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,491 to Compton et al. (1990) describes an emergency call service system, such as a 911(E) system, that provides service system personnel with the addresses of abandoned calls to facilitate abandoned call follow-up. When a call comes in to a 911 ANI controller, the calling number is recorded. If the call is abandoned prior to being assigned to an agent position for being answered, an abandoned call ALI function is invoked to obtain information pertaining to the calling number from a database, similarly to a non-abandoned call. When obtained, the information is displayed on equipment such as a printer, terminal, or PC, to make it available to system personnel for use in following up on the call.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,126 (1993) to Carrier et al. discloses a simple means to simultaneously notify multiple persons, by telephone, of an emergency by dialing 911. The patent describes a system in which after a user dials 911, either by placing a call with a wired or wireless phone or by activating a button on a transmitter that activates a phone, the system simultaneously places a call to predetermined telephone numbers with a personalized message indicating that there is a potential emergency situation at the user's residence. The 911 call then continues in a conventional manner. The pre-recorded message is repeated several times to ensure the called party is able to record the pertinent information. In the case of a busy/no answer situation, the system continues to call the pre-selected numbers until a connection is made. The system is described as being used as a medical alert system, fire alert system, or a security system. The Carrier et al. patent discloses, inter alia, the use of a CAMA/CDR signal or a process utilizing the CAMA/CDR signal as an alertment device or a trigger to initiate a multi-modal alertment/notification system. It describes a system for monitoring the voice telephone trunks between the central office and the tandem to see if a 911 call has been sent. The Carrier et al. patent specifies the use of in-band signaling—by the use of DTMF analysis—to determine whether a 911 call has been sent.
The Carrier et al. patent describes a 1982 Popular Science advertisement for a table-mounted module associated with a telephone that can, at the press of a button, automatically dial four emergency numbers and give an emergency message. The system is triggered either by a button on the module itself or by a button on a small pager unit adapted to be worn by the user. Upon connecting the call through the system, a pre-recorded message is delivered to alert police, fire departments, and paramedics. The advertisement also states that some of the pre-selected calling numbers may be close relatives or a neighbor for the purpose of rendering immediate assistance while traditional emergency services are dispatched.
A significant problem with the Carrier et al. approach is in deciding which trunks to monitor, as monitoring all trunks would likely be cost prohibitive, and risking the possibility that some calls might be missed. The most significant problem with Carrier et al. is that trunk line class codes may have to be changed to monitor the trunks between the central office and the tandem, resulting in a requirement to modify the 911 infrastructure in order to implement the system described.
In contrast, U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,670 to Pons et al. (1998) describes a private notification system for communicating 911 information to pre-selected or designated information recipients, such as family and friends, identified by a subscriber to the system. The system includes a communications bridge receiving identifying information about a person placing a 911 call, a private command control center receiving the identifying information from the communications bridge, and a notification database accessible by the command control center to provide subscriber data corresponding to the identifying information and contains an embodiment of the system that operates in conjunction with a public safety access point. To activate the service, subscribers complete a questionnaire providing personal information about their location and household and also pay a monthly fee. When a subscriber dials 911 for help and when the telephone call is answered, their data is routed from a database at the PSAP to the 911-call taker/dispatcher. Personnel at the PSAP notify designated emergency contacts that a 911 call has been placed from the subscriber's location. Police, fire and emergency medical services are provided with critical personal information about subscribers, such as medical history and pre-existing conditions, as well as the location of children, elderly or infirm persons within a dwelling. Thus, the service provides emergency services with critical personal information about subscribers and prompts said emergency service personnel to notify designated third parties that a 911 telephone call was initiated. That system, however, relies on human intervention to place a notification call, which is less efficient than a system that provides for the immediate, automatic calling of telephone numbers to notify parties that an emergency telephone call was initiated. In catastrophic situations such as natural or manmade disasters, PSAP personnel could be overwhelmed by the number of calls, and initiating notification calls could be delayed for considerable periods of time or quite possibly abandoned entirely—a situation that was essentially borne out in the beginning of the Katrina disaster and compounded by the destructive failure of the PSTN. Additionally, while such private networks accomplish notification, they are expensive to install, require separate maintenance, and may require special maintenance.
In the same general area, U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,385 to Reich et al. (2000), describes a system for the automatic notification that a telephone call to 911 has been initiated, the system being responsive to a query to a local telephone company's ALI database system. The local telephone provider supplies the new system with the registered subscriber's telephone number (i.e., ANI) and password. The Reich et al. system depends directly upon the ANI and ALI databases from the local telephone provider and describes a database memory maintained by the notifying service.
One of the principal disadvantages to the Reich system, as highlighted elsewhere in the case of Carrier, is the requirement to alter the 911 infrastructure to effect a change in the ALI database server so that it sends a message containing the telephone number associated with the telephone making the 911 call to the computer system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,587,545 to Antinucci et al. (2003) describes a system for providing expanded emergency service communications in a telecommunication network including an array of switches, junctions, channels, customer-operated communication devices and service providing stations. In that patent, the network is connected to facilitate communications among a service-provider station, an emergency complex, an emergency answering position, and an expanded service subscriber. The invention is described as providing additional information regarding the number served, such as language requirements, handicapped person status, oxygen tanks on premises, blood type or other special medical information, or other details of interest to emergency service personnel responding to calls. Such supplemental information would be provided to a PSAP coincident with the routing of an emergency service 911 telephone (voice) call to the PSAP for action and response. The patent also describes the desirability of additional notification for special number call systems, such as emergency service systems receiving telephone calls placed from a particular residence. Further, notification may be sent to a destination medical facility for emergency service personnel responding to a service request. The notification may include some of the supplemental information described above. In such manner, a medical facility may be forewarned of special circumstances involving a patient who is expected to arrive soon.
In a related area, U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,915 to McNevin (2000) describes a method and apparatus for making an emergency telephone call while on-line on a computer, in this case, in a dial-up mode of operation on a conventional telephone line. The method and system for making the call includes an input device attached to the computer that is adapted to receive a command from a computer user for making an emergency telephone call. When the user initiates a command to initiate an emergency telephone call from the input device, a software program executing on the computer overrides all computer functions and transmits the emergency call to an emergency call receiver through the network or by a telephone line. The software program takes priority over all other computer applications on the computer. The invention transmits the emergency call using a computer generated signal, or by computer generated voice, or by way of a facsimile transmission. While the computer was generating the emergency call, it could have also initiated a process to provide notification directly to the caller's support group. In some cases, the individuals who make up that support group might be able to provide aid and assistance more quickly than primary emergency services.
All of the aforementioned patents that describe automatic notification using emergency communications systems depend upon the normal functioning of the emergency services and the dispatch operation telecommunication systems and the various features that support the PSAPs and identification of signals, such as those containing ALI and ANI-type information. None of the systems, however, refer to an ability to identify the use of other discrete numbers of interest or have as a primary focus various ties to personal, family, or community communication systems to provide for security.
Moreover, the aforementioned patents do not specifically address the issue of VoIP or addresses the issue of cancellation of the automatic notification, an alternate number for notification, a test circuit that could be used to test notify potential pre-selected or designated information recipients without actually initiating a 911 telephone call, non-switch/non-system related notification, multimodal notification through either stand-alone systems, an entirely hosted system, or a combination of independent and hosted systems, family emergency communication planning, or personal notification services.
Today, the PSTN is still one of the most reliable communications networks in existence. Using traditional PSTN services as an access point to the Internet has significantly encouraged the growth of data over costly Class-5 facilities, resulting in the need to reengineer the traditional TDM architecture. Convergence technologies will provide a packet-based architecture that combines the speed and efficiency of broadband with the full-featured SS7 architecture to create a hybrid network in which carriers and service providers can choose route options based on cost, efficiency, and fault management. Convergence of technologies, however, is not accomplished by acquiring a single box, according to the IEC. Rather, those who intend to compete in the converged market space face significant challenges in choosing the correct equipment and software, configured to provide them with the capabilities required to compete in today's Internet economy. Investors, entrepreneurs, and existing vendors must appreciate the complexities of the convergence or risk the delays and unnecessary expense of adopting the wrong strategy. At the current pace that technology changes, a company cannot afford to commit exclusively to any particular proprietary or standard protocols.
Until the present invention, the prior art emergency notification systems focused upon conventional wireline telephony communications systems, focusing most recently upon the utilization of the capabilities embodied in the concept of Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN), developed and standardized by Telcordia Technologies. The convergence of communication technologies—including wireline, wireless, VoIP, and hybrids—requires a broader capability for the use of the telephony systems for vital communications connectivity.
In another related area, U.S. Pat. No. 6,600,811 to Patel et al. (2003) describes an invention relating to, among other things, telephone switching systems and the detection of failures in emergency calls. As reflected throughout the literature, the public telephone network is equipped to handle certain emergency calls, which are typically initiated by dialing a special number dedicated for emergencies, such as 9-1-1. Those telephone calls are typically routed to a regional center of operators that handle the calls and initiate the dispatch of services needed to respond to the emergency. Those services include, for example, police, fire and paramedics. Emergency calls typically receive special treatment in the telephone network. That treatment generally includes dedicated resources for handling the calls and specialized routing. Unfortunately, the general monitoring of the integrity of a switching system does not adequately identify problems in emergency calls. Indeed, it is possible that a problem with all emergency calls through a switching system may go undetected where the majority of non-emergency telephone calls are successful. This problem is exasperated by the fact that emergency telephone calls are often routed using dedicated resources. Thus, a problem with a dedicated resource may cause all emergency calls to fail, while non-emergency calls, which do not rely on the faulty dedicated resource are completed without error.
As an example, it is possible that through some fault, all emergency trunks on a switching system are out of service, while other resources are available. Nonetheless, system integrity monitoring may not alert an operator because the total failure of all emergency calls may not result in an error threshold sufficient to assert an alarm.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,755 to King et al. (1999) describes a method for allowing a mobile phone to receive a call through a wireless network for which it is not registered, for emergency purposes, through the use of a set of direct inward dialing numbers (DIDs) that are used exclusively for emergency calls and, in one embodiment, the DID assigned to the wireless telephone also identifies the antenna closest to the wireless telephone. The use of such direct inward dialing numbers could initiate a notification sequence, independent of the actual notification of the emergency reporting system.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,307 to Antinucci et al. (2003) describes a system and method for communicating between a special number call answering agency and a mobile action asset. In a system and method for communicating between a special number call answering agency and a mobile action asset, the answering agency answers a special number call placed by a caller. The mobile asset participates in responding to the call. The answering agency and the mobile asset communicate wirelessly. The answering agency recognizes and interprets special number information, including at least one of caller identification and location information. The system comprises: (a) a special number receiving terminal located with the mobile asset and configured to receive and display selected information of the special number information; the receiving terminal being configured to dial back the caller based upon the selected information and (b) a call bridge configured for actuation at the call answering agency to connect the caller with the mobile asset and provide the selected information to the mobile asset when the call bridge is in an actuated orientation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,678,357 to Stumer et al. (2004) describe an Internet Protocol (IP) Telephony Emergency Connections (ITEC) system and method that determines the precise origin of an emergency call and routes the call to the proper PSAP. A source-based routing mechanism is provided in an IP telephony type network, such as a VoIP or IP over LAN/ATM network. In the invention, emergency telephone calls are routed to the correct PSAP jurisdiction. Each server/switch may include the mechanism such that the IP telephony network can identify a 911(E) connection and egress to a public network at a point closest to the emergency telephone call point of origin. Whenever an emergency number telephone call is made, the call's origin is determined during call setup establishment. Every port or end user jack in the network is assigned a Source Group Index (SGI), which is a number or index representing each PSAP jurisdiction in the network. All ports/jacks within the same PSAP jurisdiction are assigned the same SGI. Users may be in different areas of multiple PSAP jurisdictions. While the system and method reference the manner in which the 911 calls are identified and given geographic reference, it is the normal functioning of the VoIP system that is of interest. In the case of a notification system, the CDR file can be used to initiate the notification system, along with direct notification from the system rather than viewing the VoIP as simply another manner of performing the functions of conventional, wireline telephony system.
In a development related to communication connectivity, U.S. Pat. No. 6,690,932 to Barnier et al. (2004) describes a system and method for providing language translation services in a telecommunication network, an obvious important feature in today's global community.
With the introduction of the SCP concept, new operations and management systems became necessary to support service creation, testing, and provisioning—i.e., service-specific management systems. That meant that software-defined hooks or triggers would be specific to associated services. That also meant that although the service logic is external to the switching system, it was still specific. The introduction of AIN differed in that the AIN is a service independent network capability.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,882,718 to Smith (2005) highlights the use of the AIN system to provide multiple services per trigger type, noting that AIN has allowed carriers to provide customers with a variety of enhanced call processing features and telecommunications services beyond those enabled by conventional switching circuits of the PSTN. U.S. Pat. No. 6,442,241 to Tsumpes (2002) cites dissemination of information through a plurality of communication routes, but the notification is generally applicable to security or alarm systems. U.S. Pat. No. 6,201,856 to Orwick (2001) describes an emergency telephone call notification service system and method that utilizes AIN, an intelligent peripheral in communication with the AIN capable switch, a service control point, and a public service answering point (PSAP) in communication with the SCP and the switch to provide a pre-designated message stored in memory. U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,346 to Markowitz et al. (2001) describes an automated emergency notification system that places prioritized telephone calls to pre-selected or designated information recipients and plays a pre-recorded message. The system contains call interrupt sequences and an 800 number for emergency notification.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,001 (2002), U.S. Pat. No. 6,608,886 (2003), and U.S. Pat. No. 6,792,081 (2004) to Contractor (i.e., Sunil, et al.), describe a system and method for notification of 911 telephone calls using a link monitoring system, a method and apparatus for establishing a connection between first and second communication devices and an emergency notification system based upon a first and second server (communication device). U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,001 discloses the problems encountered by other notification systems cited in its references, including some of those cited herein. The invention solves problems encountered in other automated notification systems by establishing a link monitoring system (LMS) for monitoring an SS7 link for messages indicating the presence of a 911 call. The patent discloses one such LMS and its manufacturer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,608,886 discloses additional functionality compared to the previous patent, including the sensing and placing of telephone calls between the subscriber placing the original call and one of the pre-selected or designated information recipients. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,792,081 describes an emergency notification system that utilizes AIN functionality and, inter alia, identifies a specific AIN-related trigger to initiate the notification process, which is conducted sequentially and cancelled upon successful notification.
In all of the foregoing systems and methods, there are several shortfalls and problems with implementation that argue for a comprehensive system. Among them is the need for automated and simultaneous notification of one, few, or many pre-selected or designated information recipients, without regard to sequence or presumed importance, through a multi-modal communication means. Most of the previous inventions focus solely upon the placement of calls to the 911 system and disregard the many other methods in which persons could receive information, highlighting the obvious lack of a single, comprehensive system that can provides for establishing and maintaining vital communication connectivity. More importantly, the previous inventions do not address a multi-modal manner of information distribution and do not address VoIP systems or combinations of existing and emerging systems, such as the combination of wireless, wireline, VoIP, and hybrid systems. In particular, the Sunil patents do not detail the functions and functionality of the AIN system, previously noted to have been developed and standardized by Telcordia Technologies. There are several shortfalls of these and the other systems cited in the context of notification in an era of converging telephonic technologies, notably that convergence requires a broader capability for the detection of not only calls placed to the 911 emergency reporting and response system, rather communication regarding a broad range of significant, and critical notification by individuals, family/communities, enterprises, and governments, in essence-vital communication connectivity.
As with all of the foregoing, wireless networks are evolving rapidly and have the advantage of beginnings that are relatively recent in the history of telephony. Wireless Intelligent Network standards have been approved and, in a similar fashion to wireless, the standards will permit enhancement of services, such as those enjoyed by wireline and the seamless continuity of those services during roaming. Owing to the requirements of convergence, previously discussed, wireless subscribers will demand the same type of features and services as those received from wireline carriers and will want those features and services to operate in a similar fashion. The proliferation of automated notification systems has not been experienced within those systems because of difficulty with geo-location information. The present invention discounts that presumed impediment and includes those systems into a comprehensive architecture. The same situation applies to voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) telephony and to other IP-enabled data transfer means and communicators that could be used to design, create, and maintain vital communication connectivity, especially connectivity related to the health, welfare, safety and security of individuals, families, enterprises, and governments.
The greatest impact upon conventional telephony—and one of the two items that are transforming the industry—is the advent of VoIP. Frost and Sullivan and other industry analysts project VoIP will account for 75 percent of world voice services by 2007. Others analysts, such as those at IDC, have predicted that IP will account for 72 percent of new telephony connectivity by 2008. Regardless of the exact numbers, a variety of analysts and publications have noted that it is clear that we are witnessing the curtain closing on traditional, stand-alone telephone systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,731,625 to Eastep et al. (2004) describes the integration of the Internet with telephony systems, and more specifically, to a system, method and article of manufacture for using the Internet as the communication backbone of a communication system architecture while maintaining a rich array of call processing features, which were not, at the time of the present invention, available on the Internet. Thus, the Eastep et al. patent describes a system to connect a communication network including telephony capability with the Internet to facilitate callback processing. In one embodiment of disclosed invention, telephone calls, data and other multimedia information are described as being routed through a switched network which includes transfer of information across the internet to provide multi-routed and multidimensional callback processing. The patent discloses recognizes the ability of IP telephone systems to generate data of relevance that could be used directly to initiate notification of the use of any discrete telephone numbers of interest.
What the above patents teach is how existing telephony and telecommunications systems can be altered to achieve a new use of electronic signals and stored information about telephone calls and telephone callers, and they illustrate how electronic signals can be used to create additional services not previously contemplated when the telecommunications systems were developed.